Man to Man
by Flames101
Summary: At a party, Hotch is confronted by an angry Will and his accusations that he's stolen JJ from him. Through a series of flashbacks, Hotch sets about dispelling him of this untrue notion, proving to Will that there's only one person to blame for his divorce and it isn't Hotch or JJ. Inspired by the song Man to Man by Gary Allan, requested by LivingVicariously & Jekkah. Hope you enjoy
1. Prologue

**A/N:** Hey all! Here's a new Hotch/JJ/Will (kind-of) fic. Living Vicariously requested a story based on the song by Gary Allan called Man to Man (check it out, the lyrics are perfect). And, I was elected by Jekkah to write it (Thanks! :) ). So, hope you enjoy, and as always I hope you'll let me know what you think.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Criminal Minds.

**Prologue:**

* * *

Hotch stared down the length of his black, dress-shirt covered arm to where his fingers were intertwined so thoroughly with the long, slender fingers of his girlfriend's smaller hand. The tips of her fingers were painted a cheery sky-blue; they fascinated him because they were a strange sight, especially at the office. Not the nail polish itself, but the fact that most women he encountered chose some shade of red—save Garcia, who was a quirk in and of herself. Still, he liked it; the blue was the exact shade of her eyes when she was at her happiest.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked; he could hear the laughter in her voice.

Hotch looked straight into those eyes. Sky-blue. Happy, like she was now.

"Your nail polish, actually," he answered in complete deadpan.

JJ laughed disbelievingly. "My nail polish?" She looked at her free hand, perplexed; attempting to see what was so fascinating about said nail polish. She shook her head, giving up, only to gaze back at him with those eyes he loved. "Just when I thought I had you all figured out…"

He turned his head towards hers, giving her a kiss. "I'm just full of surprises…" he murmured against her lips.

She pulled back slightly, a pink flush on her face. "That you are." She looked around the room they sat in. Kevin and Gina's _living_ room to be precise.

For a moment, Hotch had forgotten that they were at Kevin and CSU Tech Gina Sharp's housewarming party. He'd also forgotten that their friends were on a constant lookout for any sign of PDA between himself and JJ to, of course, tease them about it.

Hotch gave the room a once over as well; he found Rossi, standing clear across the room, in the middle of a conversation with Cruz. But, there was no doubt about it; the smirk on his face said it all. He'd be getting an earful later on, for sure. 'None of your business' was not a concept any of his friends were particularly familiar with.

He was just about to focus his attention back on his girlfriend when he felt another pair of eyes on him. Hotch gave the room another more discrete sweep, finding Will, alone, in the corner, openly glaring their way. Hotch mentally sighed. It was apparent in the hard glint in the other man's eye: they were going to do this. Now. Frankly, Hotch was surprised that it had actually taken Will this long to confront him.

"I'm going to find Garcia. I know this—" JJ swept her hand in the air around the room. "—is killing her. She probably needs some company and comfort. Will you be all right on your own for a bit?"

JJ hadn't noticed Will. Thank God. As far as Hotch was concerned, he'd caused enough misery for his girlfriend. The last thing she needed on this day of celebration was a glimpse of her ex-husband.

He patted her leg comfortingly. "I'll be fine," he assured.

As JJ stood up to go, Hotch saw Will begin to move from the corner of his eye. He tilted his head towards him and gave a surreptitious shake of his head. If the man had any sense, he'd wait to confront him when JJ was out of sight. Because there would be no way in hell he'd engage in any sort of confrontation with JJ present. She'd been through enough because of Will.

The conversation was obviously a necessary one. Hotch had had no contact with Will ever since his split from JJ. He could understand why he'd want to speak. They needed to set the record straight. And if doing so would also alleviate JJ's Will-stress, then that was an added bonus too.

Hotch watched as JJ disappeared around the corner and into the kitchen. She was well out of ear-shot, Hotch was sure, when Will, suddenly before him, blurted out, "You son of a bitch, you stole JJ from me!"

With a comment like that, Hotch's first instinct was to punch this guy out. He didn't, of course. Though, several people would have called it justified if he had.

Instead, Hotch got to his feet while taking a deep, calming breath. Then, for good measure, he took a few more. Looking around the room, quite a few party guests' eyes were on them.

"Not here," he said tersely as he moved towards the French doors that led to the new couple's backyard patio.

Hotch didn't have to look back to know that Will followed. This was the other man's fight, not his. Will would not pass up this opportunity. Hotch also knew that the detective would be extra miffed that he'd taken away his audience. A man like Will thrived on that sort of thing. Too bad for him. If they were going to do this, they'd do it man to man.

He exited the home then turned to wait for Will to join him. He stepped out on the patio reluctantly, slowly, giving Hotch a chance to really look at the police detective.

Will looked a mess. It wasn't the disheveled clothes or the unshaven face and bloodshot eyes that threw Hotch, though, those didn't help. It was Will's overall demeanor; it gave off a vibe that clearly said his life was in shambles.

"Close the door," Hotch ordered when it was apparent Will wasn't about to do so willingly.

The younger man huffed, but did as told.

Of course he had sympathy for Will. He had sympathy for any person who was too stupid to realize how good they had had it, not until it was gone. Cause of course that's what happened to Will. JJ was the best thing that ever happened to him. But because he'd taken her for granted on numerous occasions and his overall neglectful attitude, he'd lost her.

Hotch was sure never going to make those mistakes.

"JJ's my wife!" Will started.

Sighing, he answered, "Will, the divorce went through three months ago. She's not your wife anymore."

"And I suppose that means you'll be asking her to marry you any day now. Didn't even wait until the ink was dry, huh, Hotch? God, I used to think you had integrity."

Hotch crossed his arms over his chest, leaning back against the railing. So, round one: attack his character. "I'm sorry you feel that way, Will. The truth is you've been divorced for three months and before that you were legally separated for three more. You and JJ have been over for a long time. And, frankly, what JJ and I do next is only your business as far as it concerns Henry, that's all."

_That's it, Hotch, remain calm and in control. _

"Who are you kidding, Hotch, you've wanted JJ ever since you first met her. I'm only surprised it took this long for you to act. But, I guess you had some obstacles you needed to get around first."

He raised an eyebrow at him. "What are you saying?" He wouldn't go there, would he? The Will he knew wouldn't.

"Hailey, Hotch. First you divorce her, and then you get her killed."

Hotch's fist shot out involuntarily. Will flinched backwards, but Hotch was able to stop himself just short of Will's nose. He dropped his hand, stepping away, taking a deep breath.

It didn't take Will long to recover from looking scared witless to wearing a smug smile instead. It was that smile that egged him on further.

No, he wouldn't punch him—he wouldn't give Will the satisfaction of wearing one of _his_ mistakes on display—but he would put the little shit in his place.

"You want to know why your marriage fell apart, Will?" The man opened his mouth to speak, but he would not let him. "It wasn't because of the BAU or my feelings for JJ. It sure wasn't because of the sordid affair you imagined we were having. It wasn't because of any one thing that I or JJ had done. It was all you, Will. JJ fell out of love with you because you just weren't man enough for her!"

* * *

That's it for this chapter. Hope you enjoyed. I intend for this one to be a 5-shot so hope to update soon!

Let me know what you think. Thanks!


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Hey all! Back again with a new chapter. I'm so glad you all enjoyed the first part! I hope you equally like this next installment. And, as always, thanks for reading!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Criminal Minds.

**Chapter 1:**

* * *

_**~ 1 year ago:**_

Hotch closed the case file he'd just finished up and stared blankly at the short, but daunting stack that remained. No matter how hard he worked, there was always a plethora of un-subs just around the corner.

_And…_ with that dismal thought, he was so done tonight. He had to get out of there.

Rubbing at his tired eyes, he glanced first at his desk clock—ten pm—and then at the single photo also on his desk: Jack's latest school photo. It was hard to believe that when the summer ended his baby boy would be moving into the sixth grade. Where did the time go?

Jack was currently at sleep-away camp—hence Hotch's ability to work late these past few nights. And even though he acknowledged that his son was growing up, Hotch still made sure to carry his phone wherever he went, ringer on, just in case on the off chance Jack called and wanted to come home.

Who was he kidding? That wouldn't be happening; from the brief letters he'd received so far, his son was having a blast, which meant for the next three weeks he'd be going home to a silent house.

Sighing, he stood up to gather a few things before switching off his desk lamp. He walked over to his office door, opening it. He expected outside his office to be just as dim as inside it and it was, save for one one-hundred watt bulb shining its light down below in the bullpen. Someone else was as averse to going home as he was?

He glanced over the railing, only to see a familiar blonde head buried in her hands. Alarms instantly sounded off inside his head.

_JJ?_ What was she still doing here? Hotch had sent the team home hours ago. And he knew he'd seen JJ leaving with Garcia. Had she come back? Why?

Henry, Hotch knew, was at the same camp Jack was. In fact, he and JJ had researched and chosen Camp Kiwanis together. It had been a week of extra hours spent together that he'd treasured: heads bent close together over one laptop, laughing together, JJ's smiles—sometimes orange-tinted because of her notorious love of Cheetos. He'd had a great time alone together.

Maybe too good of a time, he suddenly realized.

Hotch shook his head to dispel his wandering thoughts. The time he'd spent with JJ wasn't the point right now. What was was the fact that _he_ may have an empty home to go to tonight but _she_ did not. As far as he knew, Will was at home waiting for her. So, again, why was she here?

_Enough with the wondering, Aaron, go down and _see_ if she's all right,_ a voice in his head chided.

_Right._

He descended the stairs two at a time, eager to get to the bottom of her distress. She still hadn't moved from the pose he'd discovered her in: elbows propped up on her desk, face in her hands. And now, as he approached her, he could hear her punctuated sniffles.

"JJ?" he said urgently, forgetting for a second that she probably believed she was alone on the whole floor. And that his voice, in the quiet room, would most likely startle her.

She looked up abruptly, eyes wide with fright—_Mission accomplished, Aaron._ JJ stared at him, uncomprehending for a millisecond. And then, he could tell, it hit her: where she was and who had discovered her.

"Aaron, oh God," she exclaimed. Any color in her face that she had before drained away. She was so very pale.

Deathly.

_Oh God—_

"Is it Henry? What happened? Is he all right? JJ—"

She stopped frantically ripping tissues out of the box on her desk to stare at him, open-mouthed. "Henry?" Her voice was raw, she'd obviously been crying for some time. "No, no. _Oh God, no._ He's fine."

Hotch sagged into a nearby chair, relief flooding his veins. "_Oh…_ I thought—Thank God."

If anything were to happen to that little boy, Hotch didn't know what he'd do.

Through Jack and, of course, JJ he'd been spending quite a bit of time with the eight-year old. Henry was rambunctious and outgoing in a way that Jack wasn't. He enjoyed their outings—especially if it was all four of them together—because it gave him the opportunity to get to know one of the best parts of JJ. Hotch loved that little boy, just like his—

"Henry's fine," she reiterated, cutting off his thoughts in a timely fashion. "He's having a great time. Sent me a letter that said pretty much just that."

He sighed, relaxing marginally. Henry was fine. And talking about her son put a small smile on her face.

Hotch leaned forward in his chair, a mere foot of space between them. He resisted the urge to reach for her hand, reminding himself—more and more of late—that she was a married woman.

"What's happened, JJ?" he asked, trying to inflect a calming note into his voice.

She wiped at her eyes with the wad of tissues she'd procured. Her blue eyes met his and he could see the trust she had in him. They were boss and subordinate, sure, but more than anything, especially lately, they were friends first.

She gave him a weak smile in acknowledgement of their friendship, but it soon cracked and he could see her fight back a fresh round of tears before she stared down into her lap.

He allowed her a silent moment to attempt to compose herself, however when her chest began to heave for breath, it was apparent that she was far from composed.

Propriety be damned, he reached for her hand in her lap, squeezing it lightly, only thinking of her comfort. "I'm here, JJ. You can tell me."

JJ looked at him with an unreadable expression on her face. Tears streaked down her cheeks.

He should have probably let go then. But the next thing he knew she was turning her hand over in his, entwining their fingers, squeezing tightly as if he were her lifeline. And who knew, maybe in that moment he was.

"My uncle… Ezra, he passed away today… I found out after I went home," she confessed.

"Oh, God, I'm so sorry, JJ," he said lamely.

She accepted his condolences with a small nod. "My dad was always busy with work, but Uncle Ezra…" she trailed off, remembering. "You know, he bought me my first bike, taught me how to ride without training wheels… He was so patient with me. He never let go, not once, only when I told him too…"

"He sounds like an amazing man."

"He was." Her face darkened then. "My mom and dad called him the black sheep of the Jareau family when I was younger, when they thought I wasn't listening. I didn't know what that meant at the time. They called him a screw-up, too. That I understood. Just because he didn't have a nine to five job like everyone else in that stupid town.

"He was creative, though, a real free spirit, you know what I mean…"

"Uh huh," he answered, realizing what JJ needed right now was a sounding board.

She shook her head. "Uncle Ezra wasn't a screw-up. Not to me. He was the best part of our family—"

JJ went silent then and for a moment Hotch thought she was done talking about her uncle. Then she surprised him with what she said next.

"When my sister killed herself, it was hard for me to understand why she'd do that. I was only eleven—I felt lost without her. I turned to my parents for answers, but for a long time they were too caught up in their grief to realize that their other child was drowning in hers. My uncle was the one to help me through it. He's the one who made me see light and rainbows again. I will never forget him."

Her voice broke on a sob and she openly cried in front of him. Hotch felt privileged to be let in on such a private moment. Still, he realized he wasn't the one she should be sharing all this with. Where was Will?

"JJ," he began questioningly, when her sobs died down. "Why are you here? Why aren't you at home?"

She looked up at him, eyes wide with surprise, shimmering with her tears. He handed her a few more tissues.

"Thanks," she said as she took them form him. Taking a deep breath, she continued. "I was at home…"

"And Will?" he prompted. He was her husband; he should be there for her.

A sour look came over her pretty features. "He was with me when my mom phoned—The funeral is Saturday…"

"Why don't you and Will leave tomorrow, then. Take as much time as you need, JJ."

Instead of his words having their desired effect—relief and comfort—her face remained in its sour countenance and a flash of anger made her eyes look as dark as a stormy evening sky.

What had he said?

"I'm going alone," she said, voice hard.

"But, JJ, you shouldn't be alone, not right now," he said delicately. "Your uncle meant everything to you. You need support."

"I agree." She stood up, pacing away from him. "But Will doesn't want to come with me."

"What?" he stood up abruptly, sending his chair rolling backwards a good few feet.

She turned around to face him; he saw the anger had faded, replaced with the sadness of her grief, and, quite possibly, the stress of Will's refusal.

Hotch closed the distance between them. JJ had to look up when she said, "He hates my mother, my family. He hates being around them. He avoids it every chance he gets."

"That's no excuse. He should still be there for you."

"I know," she said grimly. "We argued about it. And now, here I am."

He shook his head, completely bewildered. First, he'd only ever met JJ's mother, but how could you hate a woman as sweet as Sandy Jareau? Second, Will was JJ's husband; he'd sworn to stay by her side through the good times _and_ bad. No matter what. He claimed to love her, so why the hell was he causing her extra pain. "That isn't right."

She shrugged her shoulders helplessly, an uncharacteristic gesture for her.

Damn Will for putting her through this. Damn him for not loving her in the way she deserved, the way Hotch did: completely. Damn him for getting to her first.

Hotch sensed he was on the verge of saying something he wouldn't regret, but, he was sure, she would. His anger was blocking his filter and he really needed to step back, take a few deep breaths and gain perspective in that moment, before he opened his mouth.

"Will or no Will, you shouldn't go alone," he started off slow enough. And then, he blurted out, "I could go!"

"You?" she exclaimed in shock.

He wanted to slap his face the minute the words had slipped out.

Her reaction made him see sense. Of course, _he_ couldn't be the one to accompany her to her beloved uncle's funeral. As much as he wanted to be there for her, it wouldn't be appropriate.

"No, no, you're right," he backtracked, as if she had outright said, 'No way.' "It wouldn't be proper."

He began to turn away, embarrassed with himself, when she halted him with a hand on his arm.

Hotch met her eyes questioningly. He was surprised to see the affection in her eyes, for him.

"Aaron, don't get me wrong, I would be honored if you came with me. You've… you've become one of my best friends…"

For a brief instant, he let himself bask in her praise. Nevertheless, he felt an unsaid 'but' missing from her sentence. So, he said it for her, "_But…_"

She blew out an annoyed sounding breath. "Will's gotten it into his head that—" She stopped abruptly, looking away.

"That what, JJ?" he prompted gently.

When her eyes re-met his, he could see the uncertainty there. What was more, JJ was blushing. "That you have feelings for me!"

"Oh!" he said, caught off guard. The New Orleans native was more perceptive than he gave him credit for.

"Which is completely absurd, right?" she asked laughingly. "I mean, you're with Beth, for goodness sake."

"We broke up months ago."

"Oh!" she gasped out.

He hadn't meant to tell her that. This wasn't about him. Still, when she asked why, he answered truthfully. "Ironically, she thought there was something going on between us or at the very least that I had feelings for you."

"Oh wow," she breathed out. "Do you?" she added more shrewdly.

"Feelings, _feelings_?" he threw back at her.

"Yeah."

Looking into her beautiful blue eyes, watching him intently, he couldn't lie to her. But at the moment, he couldn't exactly burden her further with _his_ truth. "JJ, you are one of my best friends. I value your friendship greatly."

"I see." It was only his imagination that projected disappointment into her tone, or so he thought. Still, he wondered if she caught on to the fact that he didn't exactly answer her question. Probably. He didn't work with clueless people. But if she had, she chose not to point it out.

"You still need someone to go with you," he spoke up, mostly to cover up the awkward pause that developed. "Why not ask Garcia? I'll get you and her a week's paid leave."

"You could do that?" she asked in awe.

He nodded, confident that he could. "Cruz owes me a few favors."

The next thing he knew, JJ threw her arms around his torso, hugging him tightly. "Thank you, Aaron. You don't know how much this means to me."

After everything she'd just told him, he had a pretty good idea. He was positive that having Garcia along would make a whole lot of a difference to JJ's mental well-being. She needed a friend and if he couldn't be there, either Garcia or Reid were the next best choices.

"You're welcome, JJ," he said simply.

The hug lasted a few more moments. Hotch made sure to savor every second of it, sure that it would be a long time before they'd ever be this close.

He loved JJ; it had been a slow realization that had come about over the past few months. However, she was a married woman and there was nothing he could do about that.

For now, he'd be there for her when her husband wasn't. It was enough for him to make her happy even when the person who was supposed to be doing that was slacking. One thing was certain, though, Will needed to watch himself; he needed to smarten up before he woke up one day to find that JJ had caught on to his games and had left him.

* * *

_**Present Day:**_

"Are you telling me I lost JJ because I refused to go to her uncle's funeral?" Will asked incredulously. "Come on, it's not like it was her mother's."

Hotch put his head into his hand, shaking his head in disbelief. Was the man really that clueless?

"No," Hotch conceded.

"Good, because I think the real reason why I lost her was because you two were screwing around behind my back," Will added vulgarly.

Hotch gave the man his patented death glare stare. "No," he said pointedly. "Not going to her Uncle Ezra's funeral was just one neglectful act in a long list of them."

"What are you talking about?" Will asked all surly with the implications of him being a bad husband.

Hotch wasn't implying anything, though. He was out right stating a fact. Will had been a terrible husband.

"What about the time Henry broke his arm?"

"What about it?"

"Well…"

* * *

That's it for this chapter. Hope to have the next one up by next weekend.

Thanks to everyone who is reading, favoriting, and alerting this story. Also, thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter: **angry penguin; Christiangirl; livingvicariously75; whiteswan; Lalina92; jekkah; JJmyst; 1029; whimsical-one-ga; princesslolitatheorca654; RatherBeAWriter; Cannybarin; aaronhotchnerlove; Guest #2; Casie01; and Guest #1.**


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N**: Um… hi? Anyone out there? Lol. So sorry guys. I have seriously not been feeling the writing lately. Trying to get back into it; this chapter is my guinea pig. We'll see how it goes…

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Criminal Minds.

**Chapter 2:**

* * *

_**~ 9 months ago:**_

"All right, everyone," Hotch announced to the team as the plane touched down. "You're all great, but I really don't think I can stand to see you all anytime in the next few days."

The team chuckled at his attempt at a joke, all but one that is. Hotch's eyes slid over to the morose-looking blonde member of his team. JJ's foot twitched rhythmically against the carpeted floor. She seemed more than eager to get out of there and he didn't blame her one bit.

They were just returning home from Denver; a child-abduction that actually had a happy ending. It had taken six days to figure out the child, a little girl of three, had been taken by her biological mother. They'd found Clara safe and sound; a great ending to a tense case. Though, it had been heartbreaking to witness and know that they were taking her from a mother who'd cleaned up her act specifically to get her child back. Too bad she'd gone about it all wrong, jeopardizing any future she could have had with her daughter. But that was another matter entirely.

It was during the case, about three days into it, that JJ had received a phone call from Will. Hotch had been present for the call; she hadn't bothered to find a private area to take it. He wasn't one to delve into the private lives of his co-workers or friends, even one he cared for as much as JJ, but after he'd felt the need to pry when whatever was being said made JJ turn pale as a ghost.

After several moments of silence on her end, she hung up. He immediately asked her what had happened; looking at him through a hazy fog, she told him that Henry had fallen from the monkey bars at school and broken his arm.

Hotch urged the distraught former media liaison to go home, that they could handle this case without her. But, as concerned as she was, she knew that Henry would be all right. He had his dad to look after him for now.

Hotch didn't push her further. And, to JJ's credit, she'd remained focused on the job—albeit with a perpetual frown marring her pretty features.

So, now he wondered, if Henry really was ok—which he had to be; there was no way JJ would have stayed on the job if he wasn't—why was she storming out of here, a panicked gleam in her eye?

He stood up a second after JJ had and started to hurry after her, ignoring Rossi's call to hold on a moment.

"JJ!" he called to her, catching up to her just inside the airport terminal. "Wait up. I'll drive you."

She'd turned at his initial call, but looked hesitant to accept his offer. Still, she paused long enough for him to close the remaining distance between them.

He took the keys right out of her hand. She frowned up at him. "Come on. Who, out of the two of us, looks like they actually got any sleep last night?"

"Thanks," she replied, sarcastically.

He chuckled lightly, which brought a relaxed look upon her features, the first one he'd seen on her in days.

They started walking side-by-side and he commented offhandedly, "Oh, you know you look great even when going through hell and back."

It was only after she glanced at him sharply, surprise written all over her face, that he realized what he'd just said to her. He noticed a blush coloring her cheeks and then she was facing forward again. "No, I don't," she stated, matter-of-fact; but her voice warmed with her next words. "But, thank you for saying so."

Hotch had been doing that a lot lately, slipping up. Letting a glimpse of his feelings show through his obviously cracking-up friendship-façade. He knew he needed to watch himself. He needed to hide his feelings better. But Hotch was finding it harder and harder to ignore the fact that JJ was wonderful and that he was so in love with her. He'd reached the point where Dave had figured it out—_not good_—and called him out on it; and even Garcia was giving him suspicious looks. If those two found out, the rest of the world wasn't far behind.

They walked the rest of the way to the parking garage in silence. Hotch sensed that JJ wasn't in the mood for idle chit-chat, worried only about her son. He was just glad he was able to accompany her home because he was certain she hadn't slept for days.

Reaching the government-issued SUV, Hotch went for the driver's side, leaving JJ to the passenger seat with one more grimace thrown his way.

On the road, Hotch finally asked, "So, how is Henry doing?"

He threw a glance her way when she didn't answer right away. She was biting her lip. "Will says he's ok."

"That's good. What does Henry say? In my experience, after the initial pain of the break, he'll think the cast that comes with it is the coolest thing ever. I know Jack did, after he broke his wrist skateboarding."

He waited for the on-coming traffic so he could turn left into JJ's community; she didn't live too far from the airport. It had been a planned for convenience on her and Will's part, he remembered her saying just after they'd bought the home together. Hotch remembered JJ being so excited that she'd be able to quickly go home after a case or, at least, stop by for a quick hello if she needed to head back to Quantico.

Turning, Hotch observed that JJ hadn't answered. "JJ?"

His eyes were on the road, so he didn't expect her to blurt out, "I don't know! All right." He also didn't expect her to sound like she was on the verge of tears.

_Ok, what the hell?_ he thought worriedly. Seeing a convenience store coming up ahead, Hotch manoeuvered the vehicle so he was pulling into the parking lot a second later.

He put the SUV into park. He'd felt like something was off ever since JJ had told him about Henry. Sure, she'd been focused on the case. But if everything was under control at home why had she been so antsy, so nervous and jumpy. That hadn't been like JJ. And this wasn't either. It was time for some answers.

Turning to her, she instantly backtracked, "Forget I said anything, Hotch." Her eyes pleaded with him to leave it.

For a second he wanted to heed her words; he'd do anything for her. Anything but ignore the obvious pain she was in.

He shook his head. "JJ, please, what do you mean you don't know?"

"Aaron…" she tried one more time, using his first name, he suspected, to get him to back off. Maybe she was on to him too, he considered.

But, he wanted to help her, not brush off whatever this was. He gave her one hard stare and she caved. "_Fine,_" she spit out, exhaling an annoyed-sounding breath. "I don't know because Will won't let me speak to Henry."

"What?" he exclaimed, slamming his hand down on the steering wheel, inadvertently hitting the horn, scaring a poor old lady walking her cat—yes, her cat was on a leash.

"Hotch!" JJ scolded, shooting the old lady an apologetic look.

"Sorry," he mumbled as he attempted to regain his composure. He took a few deep breaths, but he could still feel the anger he felt towards a certain southern detective bubbling just below the surface. "What do you mean he won't let you speak to your own son?"

She hesitated in going on; he guessed his initial reaction made her think twice about telling him more. He'd pry it out of her if he had to. It was sounding a lot like Will was keeping Henry away from his own mother. No way in hell was he about to stand for that.

"He's mad at me," she went on tentatively. "For not coming back when he told me what happened. When I called home to speak to Henry later, he said that I could just come home if I wanted to do that."

Hotch shook his head furiously. He was seeing red. How dare this guy keep JJ away from Henry? How dare Will put down JJ for providing for her family? He'd heard the stories before. That Will was displeased with the hours JJ put in at the BAU. Hotch got it, more than anyone else, how hard this job was on a marriage. But, Hailey never kept Jack from him. No matter the hour, he'd always been able to see his son. Will had hit a new low in Hotch's eyes. He had half a mind to go over there and—

A soft hand on his forearm halted his increasingly volatile thoughts. "Aaron," JJ said softly. "Please, I've… I've got it under control."

The red cleared from his vision as he focused on her concerned face. He wanted to believe her, he really did. Hotch, above anyone else, knew how strong she was; after all, he knew every single detail about what had happened to her in Afghanistan and again later when she was tortured on American soil. He knew. But, the tears that threatened to pour from her beautiful blue eyes told another story: she was hurting. Bad. And it was all thanks to her husband.

Once again, Will was dropping the ball in the husband department. The guy must not have a clue. It was the only explanation. He had no idea how great of a partner he had by his side and how his actions were jeopardizing that fact. Because one thing was certain, JJ was strong and Hotch knew she wouldn't take much more of this crap.

"Do you?" he asked quietly, needing to make sure.

"Yes," she murmured, but her voice trembled and a tear slipped down her cheek.

He sighed. She didn't, not yet at least. But he'd pretend, for the moment, with her that she did. "Come on; let's get you home to your son."

"Thank you, Aaron."

* * *

They reached JJ's modest home ten minutes later. JJ didn't even wait for Hotch to pull alongside the curb to open her door. She was out a second later, rushing for her front door. Hotch was only a step or two behind her.

To both their surprise, the front door burst open before either of them reached it. Will stepped out, looking antagonistic already.

"What's he doing here?" he greeted surly. Hotch didn't have to get any closer to know that Will had been drinking. It wasn't even noon yet. What was going on in the Jareau-LaMontagne household?

His finger remained pointed like a gun at Hotch. It didn't intimidate him; he still made his way up the front lawn. "JJ, why don't you go inside and see Henry," Hotch suggested, ignoring Will for a moment.

She hesitated, glancing between the two men. It was obvious that she didn't want to leave them alone together. Hotch nodded for her to go on, instilling in one look that at least one cool head would prevail. JJ rushed inside.

"What are you doing here?" Will repeated icily.

He pointed to the parked SUV. "Driving JJ home; she was too worried to drive herself."

"Yeah, well, maybe she should have come home when I told her to," Will slurred. "Woman doesn't know her place… It's in the kitchen." The man laughed at his own statement.

The red was back.

Hotch closed the distance between them. "I'm going to chalk that idiot statement up to you being drunk. You're a good man, Will. Or at least I thought you were… Instead of burdening your wife further, you should have set her mind at ease. And you sure as hell shouldn't have kept her from speaking with Henry."

Will's face hardened. "It's none of your business."

"It is. JJ is my friend. And if you keep treating her this way, I'm going to—"

"What?" Will taunted. "Beat me up? Make me disappear?"

Hotch drew in a calming breath, taking a few steps back. "I won't have to do anything, Will. JJ's a smart woman. Mark my words, she'll be the one leaving you, if you don't smarten up. And she'll take Henry with her. And, at this rate, the way you're acting, I don't know if you'll ever see your son again…"

It was a threat, yes. One that Hotch was more than willing to help out with.

"You can't say that to me."

"Someone has to. You're acting like a child," Hotch continued. "Someone needs to tell you to get your act together, or else you're going to lose your family. That is a guarantee."

For a moment, it seemed Will would take Hotch's words to heart; a look of clarity crossed Will's features. But a second later, it was gone; Will's face turned into an ugly sneer. And he was telling Hotch to go or else he'd call the police.

He didn't, not before seeing for himself that JJ and Henry were ok. And only after JJ asked him to leave so she could talk to Will. She'd assured him that they would be fine.

So, he left; but, he would be back. He didn't trust Will, not anymore.

* * *

_**Present Day:**_

"… Instead of comforting JJ, assuring her that you could handle the situation until she got home, you made it worse."

"I was only trying to—"

Hotch shook his head. "No, Will, you were using your son as blackmail to get JJ to come home. It's actions like that that got you supervised visits with your own son. And it's actions like that that cost you JJ and your family."

"Oh, and it wasn't because you swooped in right after I left with toys for my son and chocolate for my wife? God, Hotch, you used a tough time in our marriage to steal her away from me."

Will was referring to the fact that he'd gone over to JJ's the next day with a get-well toy for Henry—a ruse to get inside to check up on them—and a box of chocolates for JJ. He'd found her looking not so good. He'd asked her what was wrong and she'd told him that Will had left the night before, but not before giving her and Henry a scare with his shouting.

He remembered asking her to get out of there and luckily she'd told him she was packing a bag for her and Henry to stay a few days with Garcia.

"I'm sorry she felt the need to turn to me when you weren't there for her Will," he started, then paused. "No, wait. I'm not. You should have been better to her. You should have realized you had the best woman out there choosing to be with you. But you didn't.

"I'm glad. Because it's seeing your mistakes that make me want to be so much better. I strive every day to be better than you Will. So, thank you."

Will was seething by this point. But, Hotch couldn't hold back. He'd tried to be kind in the past, tried to see the man that Will was once and to offer him advice so he'd find that man once again. But it hadn't worked. So, now, all that was left was to give him a piece of his mind that was a long time in coming.

"Will, you are the big—" Hotch began.

"Aaron?"

JJ stuck her head out through the patio doors.

All anger faded from him. He looked from her to the pathetic shell of a man that was Will—this wasn't worth it. _He_ wasn't worth it—and then back to his lovely girlfriend. He had JJ, that was all that mattered. And he'd treat her right.

"Everything all right?" she asked suspiciously, her eyes darting briefly to her ex-husband but not lingering.

"Yeah," he said following her inside.

He placed a hand on her back, guiding them back to the living room.

"What was that all about?" she wondered curiously.

"Nothing. Just giving him some advice, you know, man to man."

* * *

That's it for this chapter. Hope you enjoyed. I believe there's an epilogue left at least… So, more to come (I think).

Anyways, thanks to everyone who's been reading. And thanks to those who reviewed the last chapter: **aaronhotchnerlove; Princess Lauryn; Hmmm; spk; Casie01; Guest #1; MaddieNicole; Dante 101; Guest #2; Guest #3; Andi; Christiangirl; dreamsnatcher; BAUMember; 1029; cooey95; angry penguin; JJmyst; mummacass; Lalina92; and jekkah. **

See ya!


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Hey all! Here is the final chapter of Man to Man. I hope you enjoyed! Let me know what you think. Thanks!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Criminal Minds.

**Chapter 3:**

* * *

JJ put a hand on Hotch's arm, halting her boyfriend in the hallway that led down to the kitchen, seemingly the only unoccupied space in Kevin's new house.

Hotch seemed content at leaving his encounter at that, at him just giving Will some advice, but she was sure it was more. She hadn't seen any bruises on either of them—Hotch hid it well, but she knew how much he wanted to punch her ex, deep down—so she knew that words were the only thing exchanged. But what words; that's what she endeavored to find out.

"No, seriously. What did you talk about?" JJ asked; the note of desperation in her voice couldn't be helped. When she'd arrived at the party and seen Will, it had taken every fiber of her being not to leave right then. He harassed her enough through his lawyer; she did not want to experience it firsthand.

Thankfully, he'd kept his distance and, as long as she'd ignored his outright stares and glares, she'd been able to have a good time. Little did she know, Will had only been biding his time, until the moment she'd left the room. Hotch was his real target.

It irked her something fierce to know that Will was now harassing someone who had absolutely nothing to do with him and the issues between them. In fact, she should go back out there and call him out on every crap thing he'd done to her. Why not? The divorce was final. There were no more terms to discuss. She was free. Free to say exactly what she thought of that little piece—

Hands fell on her shoulders, gluing her to where she stood. "Whoa," Hotch called, reining her in. "Where do you think you're going?" He turned her around to face him. She had no idea she had begun to move.

Hotch was frowning, but she could at least see a hint of amusement twinkling in his eyes—Will hadn't completely ruined their evening. "Uh oh. I know that look."

_What look?_ she thought suspiciously.

"As your lawyer would say, 'I'd strongly advise against it.' Whatever _it_ is…" He chuckled, ruining his mock impersonation.

She deflated then, all the fight seeping out of her. Hotch was right, of course. A confrontation with Will was not something she relished. She just wanted to be able to enjoy her time with Hotch and her friends, was that so much to ask?

"Just… what did he want?" Because she knew that it had to be Will who had demanded the conversation, not Hotch. Hotch, at JJ's request, had left her to deal with Will directly, while supporting all her decisions behind scenes. He wouldn't have sought Will out.

Her boss and boyfriend—or as Garcia liked to refer to him, her BB—waved a hand in the air, aiming for nonchalance, but the gesture was so out of character for him, she knew the encounter was anything but.

Hotch blew out a breath and with it what really happened. "He wanted to set the record straight. Only, he was missing some key facts."

JJ sighed, leaning back into his chest; she loved feeling his warmth and strength under her fingertips. Sometimes, she'd just touch him to make sure he really was hers. How she'd ever fallen for a guy like Will, when Hotch had always been the man of her dreams, she never knew.

"Does he understand now?" That was all she wanted to know.

"If he doesn't, I could go back outside and try it in a different language. How about fist-to-face-anese?"

She laughed sharply and then leaned back slightly so she could look him in the eye as she lightly scolded, "Aaron, no!" He didn't need to know that she had been thinking along the same lines. Another tick in their 'meant-to-be' column.

He snuck a quick kiss; so quick, she didn't have time to properly kiss him back. He grinned. "No, I know. Not really my style…"

"Do you think he'll back off for a bit?" she asked hopefully.

The frown on his face answered her question. "Honestly, I have no clue. He has a lot of issues that he needs to deal with. His alcoholism for starters… All we can do is block him out and hope his friends can help him see that he needs to get help."

"Yeah, I guess," she said, frowning; understanding, but wishing for a different answer.

Hotch put his arms around her shoulders, squeezing tightly. "Hey, hey…" he murmured softly. "Turn that frown upside down. No more thoughts of Will. Ok?"

"Ok." She conceded with one big nod.

Hotch moved them back into party central: the living room. Despite agreeing to no more thoughts of he-who-shall-not-be-named, she remembered the night that everything fell into place for her and Hotch. And it was all thanks to Lord-Ass-emort.

* * *

_**~ 6 months ago:**_

JJ sat at her desk in the darkened bullpen, tears streaming down her face. She stared at a photograph of her and Will on the day of their impromptu, rushed wedding.

She felt nothing. Not a single damn thing. It was like the woman in the picture, smiling up at Will, wasn't her, but her doppelganger.

Because she sure as hell never felt like smiling at Will like that. Couldn't even remember a time when she had ever wanted to.

She brought the photo up to her face for closer inspection. The light of her desk lamp wasn't much at all and she was bleary-eyed; however, she was determined to figure out just who that person was.

"Is it me?" she murmured to herself incredulously.

It sure as heck looked like her.

And then she caught it, just around her eyes, little lines of tension that weren't there normally. _God,_ she thought harshly, as she flung the photo, frame and all, across the bullpen. It hit the railing of the stairs noisily with a crash and splatter of glass. Even then some part of her had been screaming for her to get the hell away from Will.

Why—_oh, why_—hadn't she listened to that part? That part was so smart. That part had recognized Will to be the boil on her soul that he was.

A door from up above creaked open abruptly. _Oh crap! _She wasn't alone?

JJ rubbed at her eyes frantically, pulling a file in front of her. She opened it up and stared down at it, feigning work.

"JJ?" a voice called uncertainly.

_Crap! Crap! Crap!_ she thought rapid fire. _Hotch! _He was the last person she wanted to see her like this. He'd already been present for her other weak moments. She felt like she was beginning to give him the wrong impression.

He'd been through so much and stayed strong for his son and professional at work. JJ admired him for his perseverance and looked up to him, wanting to emulate his stoic-ness. But it was easier said than done. And it was at least twice now that he'd been witness to her unravelling. She hated herself for it. JJ wouldn't add this encounter to the list. Hastily, she picked up a pen to further help with the façade.

She didn't reply—maybe he'd think no one was there—but it made no difference. She heard the approaching footsteps a second later. JJ didn't have to look up to see that he was coming closer.

The footsteps halted and she could hear him breathing, slightly heavily from his rapid descent. He was right there and she would not look up. She wouldn't. Because if she did—_If_ she looked at the man that, if she was truly honest with herself, had always been the man of her dreams, she'd crumble under the weight of her reality. The reality that the man she _did_ have was a verbally abusive, alcoholic, cheating bastard!

God, how did her life go so wrong, so fast?

"Hey, Hotch!" she said in as chipper a voice as she could manage—unfortunately, she could still hear the tremble in her voice. "Sorry, busy. Need to finish up this case file. Uh… you… need it right away?" Damn the indecision she let slip into her voice.

_Think stoic, JJ. Think tough as nails and hard as stone. Be the Hotch…_ she mentally coached herself.

A large hand splayed over the file, blocking her view, not that she had been seeing any of it anyways.

"One," Hotch began. "I don't need anything right now. Definitely not at one am." He paused, moving his hand, only to pull the file from her grasp. "Two," he continued, depositing the file back in front of her, confusing her. "If you _are_ going to do any work at one am, it would help if the file weren't upside-down. And err… and your pen too." She looked at her right hand and hastily corrected the pen position, blushing furiously. "And last but not least," he said voice gentler now. "JJ, you're crying, what happened?"

_Shit!_ she swore. So much for her calm and collected front. She just failed at everything.

"I was trying so hard," she murmured so quietly.

"JJ, look at me." A hand came down to grasp her own. "What were you trying?"

She couldn't resist anymore. JJ glanced at him from beneath the fringe of her lashes, just a peek. The genuine concern and caring she saw on his face for her, had her staring at him head on, holding his gaze, never wanting to let go.

But there was something else there, something more to it than just worry.

She recalled the times he saw her at her most vulnerable; even in the past she could see an inkling of something deeper than friendship in his eyes, just like now. Always, she'd chalked it up to him just wanting to protect her. But now, as she thought about it some more, maybe she saw it at other times, too.

She just didn't know. She hoped—even though she didn't have a right to. But she also feared that if he did care for her, it was out of a misguided knight-in-shining-armor, damsel-in-distress complex.

"I… I didn't want you to see me… like this."

"JJ," he breathed out, her name a sigh, a caress on his lips. She felt every possible emotion when he said her name like that. "You… you don't ever have to hide your feelings from me… I wish you weren't hurting. But I want to know so I can make it better. So I can make you happy…"

Her eyes widened. Those were not words you said to your friend. Those were things you said to the one you—

"What happened?" he interrupted.

She hung her head low, avoiding the intensity in his gaze now, not wanting to see the oncoming scrutiny. She only knew too well that the skills of a profiler were always on. "Will and I are through."

She heard Hotch gasp, and then the hitch of his breath, as if he were holding it as he pondered what to say. "I'm… I'm so sorry, JJ. You must be… devastated."

_Devastated? No._ She shook her head, looking up at Hotch once again. He needed to see how angry she was, the truth to her words. "I'm absolutely livid. I'm pissed off as hell. I'm… I'm… I feel like the most foolish person on Earth!"

"Foolish?"

"He cheated on me, Aaron," she cried out. "He's been seeing some woman… He's even let Henry meet her. I'm not only a fool, but a terrible mother too! God, what is wrong with me?"

She placed her head in her hands; she shook from the rage she felt for Will, but most of all, for herself.

"Hey, hey," Hotch said soothingly. His hand fell to her shoulder, rubbing consolingly. It took every ounce of her being not to lean into that touch. She didn't want to embarrass herself any further. "Don't blame yourself. He's the one who's made mistake after mistake. He's the fool, not you. JJ, I'm so sorry he hurt you."

"It's not even that!" she exclaimed. "Yes, it hurts that he would betray our marriage like that… but, it's my fault!"

"It's not," Hotch denied.

"It is!" she waved her hand at the broken glass across the room. "Even back then, I knew I shouldn't have married him. That woman in that photo is screaming out, 'What are you doing? You don't love him! You never loved him!'" She took a deep breath. "That's why I'm the idiot. Because I could have saved us all the trouble if I'd only listened to what I already knew. Will has never been and never will be the man for me."

"Oh!" Hotch exclaimed, taking a step back.

"Oh?" she echoed, watching his retreat acutely. There was a peculiar look on his face. Halfway between a look of consternation and like he was having an epiphany. "Oh…" she prompted him.

"So… just to clarify. You aren't sitting here in the dark because you just found out the love of your life is cheating on you. But because you feel foolish that you didn't listen to your gut instincts in the first place?"

"Yes," she breathed out.

And then to her surprise, Hotch blurted out, "I love you!"

"What?" She jumped in her seat.

"God, this so isn't the right time. But… I couldn't hold it in a minute longer. I love you, JJ. I'm pretty sure I always have. And, God help me if you laugh in my face, I always will. I… I love you."

She stood up abruptly, knocking her chair backwards. "I… _wow!_ I… I don't know what to say."

So many emotions lit inside her, like mini fireworks, making their presence known. Each and every one was welcome and wondrous, if a little confusing.

Hotch visibly paled. He took a few more steps backwards. "Oh man. Forget it. Forget I said anything. What was I thinking? Right now isn't about me, it's about you. You don't need me muddling everything up. Forget it. Just… forget it."

He turned to go.

"I… I don't understand. You don't love me?"

He halted at her words and re-met her gaze. There was fear in his dark eyes. And then she understood. He'd taken her wonder as rejection.

"I… do," he said resignedly and more calmly. "I do, JJ. I love you. But this… this isn't the time to tell you. It's wholly inappropriate."

She took a step towards him; he watched her cautiously, uncertainly. Yes. This was very inappropriate. She was a married woman. Or, married fool, if you'd like. But this, this was the man she'd always secretly cared for, standing before her, declaring his love _for her_. How could she let him get away? She couldn't; it was as simple as that.

Tentatively, she reached out a hand, letting her fingers graze his chest, feeling his strong muscles beneath the fabric. _He_ was real and what's more he didn't move away at her touch. _This_ was real.

"JJ?"

She took a step towards him. "It might be wholly inappropriate…" she began, nodding her head. "But, I wholly approve…"

She moved into his arms then, and let him kiss away the world around them.

* * *

_**Present Day:**_

"JJ? JJ?"

Startled out of her thoughts, she looked up to see Hotch watching her, an amused smirk on his face. "Where'd you go just now?"

She shook herself and the remnants of the memory with it. "The night you told me you loved me."

"Oh, God, I was a stumbling mess that night," he chided, though he continued to grin.

"You were adorable," she said kissing his cheek.

He shrugged his shoulders self-consciously. "If you say so…"

"I do. And I…" She was hit with a wave of sentimentality just then. "And I really wanted to thank you, Aaron. For always having my back. Even when… even when I was clueless in knowing that you did. Thank you for being there for me."

"Always, JJ, always."

* * *

Well that's it for this one. Only one chapter shy of what I originally promised, but I felt that this was a good place to end this one.

Anyways, thanks to everyone for reading and sticking with it. And thank you to everyone who reviewed the previous chapter: **Christiangirl; Dante 101; mummacass; Lalina92; Snowbeardolphin; natexserenafan; Jotch fan; Snowgirl01; and CSIflea**.

Thanks again!


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